Popular cities
India Cost of Living 2026
๐ฎ๐ณ 16 cities in India, sorted by daily travel budget. Not the exchange rate โ how cheap it feels on your own income, and where a price becomes a rip-off. Updated October 2026
Cities in India compared
| City | Per day | Per month | Local meal | Coffee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ฎ๐ณ AmritsarTourist ยท mid-size | $40.2 | $581 | โน150 | โน150 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ AgraTourist ยท mid-size | $48.4 | $650 | โน200 | โน180 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ JaisalmerTourist ยท small town | $51.3 | $614 | โน150 | โน150 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ VaranasiTourist big city | $54.9 | $633 | โน150 | โน150 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ ChennaiBig city | $55 | $862 | โน150 | โน200 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ UdaipurTourist ยท mid-size | $57.8 | $667 | โน200 | โน150 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ KochiTourist ยท mid-size | $60.1 | $786 | โน200 | โน160 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ PuneBig city | $61.8 | $904 | โน200 | โน180 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ JaipurTourist big city | $63.9 | $876 | โน300 | โน170 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ RishikeshTourist ยท small town | $64.4 | $787 | โน250 | โน150 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ KolkataBig city | $65.3 | $668 | โน180 | โน170 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ GoaResort | $65.9 | $1,164 | โน250 | โน160 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ HyderabadBig city | $72.8 | $947 | โน250 | โน210 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ BengaluruBig city | $73.7 | $1,122 | โน250 | โน250 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ DelhiBig city | $75.9 | $1,097 | โน300 | โน250 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ MumbaiBig city | $86.9 | $1,465 | โน250 | โน230 |
Per day = one mid-range night + three meals, a coffee and two taxi rides. Open a city for item-by-item prices, rip-off thresholds and live traveler reports.
Everyday prices in India
| City | Beer | 5 km taxi | Hotel night | Massage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Amritsar | โน200 | โน140 | โน1,800 | โน1,000 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Agra | โน220 | โน160 | โน2,200 | โน1,200 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Jaisalmer | โน300 | โน200 | โน2,500 | โน1,200 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Varanasi | โน250 | โน140 | โน3,000 | โน1,200 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Chennai | โน300 | โน150 | โน2,800 | โน1,200 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Udaipur | โน250 | โน160 | โน3,000 | โน1,200 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Kochi | โน250 | โน180 | โน3,000 | โน1,500 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Pune | โน250 | โน150 | โน3,000 | โน1,200 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Jaipur | โน300 | โน150 | โน3,000 | โน1,500 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Rishikesh | โน300 | โน250 | โน3,000 | โน1,500 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Kolkata | โน220 | โน150 | โน3,600 | โน1,000 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Goa | โน170 | โน220 | โน3,000 | โน1,000 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Hyderabad | โน230 | โน170 | โน3,500 | โน1,300 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Bengaluru | โน350 | โน180 | โน3,500 | โน1,500 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Delhi | โน300 | โน150 | โน3,500 | โน1,500 |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Mumbai | โน300 | โน170 | โน4,500 | โน1,500 |
India vs nearby countries
| Country | Per day | Per month | vs India |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ป๐ณ Vietnam | $56.7 | $997 | -9% |
| ๐ฒ๐ฒ Myanmar | $58.1 | $561 | -7% |
| ๐ณ๐ต Nepal | $61.5 | $742 | -1% |
| ๐ฑ๐ฆ Laos | $62 | $1,351 | -1% |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ India | $62.4 | $864 | this country |
| ๐ต๐ฐ Pakistan | $65.1 | $727 | +4% |
| ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | $65.4 | $1,097 | +5% |
| ๐ง๐ฉ Bangladesh | $66.7 | $795 | +7% |
Countries in the same region with a similar daily travel budget. Tap a country for its city-by-city prices.
Mumbai vs New York: item by item
| Item | Mumbai | New York | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local meal | โน250โ $2.98 | $20 | -85% |
| Coffee | โน230โ $2.74 | $6 | -54% |
| Beer | โน300โ $3.57 | $9 | -60% |
| 5 km taxi | โน170โ $2.02 | $23 | -91% |
| Hotel night | โน4,500โ $53.6 | $270 | -80% |
| 1-bed rent | โน35,000โ $417 | $3,300 | -87% |
Same purchase in both cities, converted to US dollars. Daily travel budget: Mumbai $86.9 vs New York $467 โ about 81% cheaper.
Compare India with other cities
Money tips for India
Paying
Cash and UPI QR dominate; hotels, malls and chains take cards.
Tipping
5โ10% at restaurants; small tips for drivers and guides are normal.
Menu prices
GST is often added on top of menu prices. Service charges can't be made mandatory, so you may ask to remove them.
Getting around
Uber and Ola remove haggling for cars and auto-rickshaws; at airports use the prepaid taxi booth.
Haggling
Always haggle at markets, souvenir stalls and with auto-rickshaws.
Water
Never drink tap water; sealed bottled water only.
Common rip-offs
Autos that refuse the meter, "your hotel has closed" detours, and fake tourist offices.
India travel difficulty
| City | Overall | Rip-offs | Language | Transport | Payments | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pune | Moderate 2.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Bengaluru | Moderate 2.4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Chennai | Moderate 2.4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Hyderabad | Moderate 2.4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Kochi | Moderate 2.4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Kolkata | Moderate 2.4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Mumbai | Moderate 2.4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Udaipur | Moderate 2.4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Jaipur | Moderate 2.6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Amritsar | Moderate 2.8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Jaisalmer | Moderate 2.8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Delhi | Hard 3.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Rishikesh | Hard 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Goa | Hard 3.2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Agra | Hard 3.4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Varanasi | Very hard 3.6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Rip-offs, language, getting around, payments and safety, 1โ5 (closer to 1 is easier). Tap a city for reasons and tips. Full difficulty ranking โบ
City guides
FAQ
How much is a daily travel budget in India?
With a mid-range room, between $40.2 and $86.9 a day depending on the city โ about $62.4 on average. Hostels and local eateries cut that by 30% or more.
How much does a month in India cost?
Short-term rental plus living costs runs $581โ$1,465 by city, about $864 on average.
Which city in India is cheapest?
By daily budget, Amritsar ($40.2/day) is the cheapest and Mumbai ($86.9/day) the most expensive.
Which nearby country is cheaper than India?
Among countries in the same region with similar budgets, Vietnam runs about $56.7 a day โ 9% less than India (about $62.4).
Is India cheaper than New York?
In Mumbai, a traveler's day runs about $86.9 versus $467 in New York โ roughly 81% cheaper. The gap differs by item, so meals, coffee, taxis and hotels are listed separately above.